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Guides for the Business Traveler
Weihai (2007)
4 hours in Weihai (2007)
2007 Business Traveler 4-Hour Guide Sponsored by Korean Air. Gary Bowerman discovers that the attractions in and around Weihai appeal to birdwatchers, beach-lovers and weapons buffs alike.
 | Colonial Architecture Crawl Located beside the sea on the Northeast coast, and flanked by hills and mountains, Weihai is a popular holiday destination for Chinese tourists and Beijing government officials. For foreign visitors, however, the sightseeing options are rather limited. Hiring a driver to explore the coastline to the east and west may be a better use of your time than pounding the city streets. In 1898, the British claimed Weihai (then known as Weihaiwei) as a treaty port and controlled the city for three decades. During this period, they constructed a number of neo-classical mansions and commercial headquarters. Several of these buildings can be found by wandering the old concession area of the city, although many are now in a state of disrepair. |  | Beaches Near Downtown The main attractions for Chinese tourists are not Weihai's colonial edifices, but its sandy beaches, which offer excellent people-watching opportunities if you don't have time to explore the further-afield Chengshan Cape and Liugong Island. Stretching in both directions from downtown are several clean and attractive stretches of golden sand and safe waters for swimming. As always in beach cities, shorefronts beyond the urban boundaries are cleaner and more attractive. |  | Liugong Island Located three miles offshore in Weihai Bay, this picturesque island was once a tightly restricted naval base—and was only opened to visitors in 1985. Times and visitor controls have changed, and to explore what it has to offer, catch a ferry from the main dock (journey time is 20 minutes). Just three miles long and one mile wide, the Liugong Island settlement, and later a naval base, was established in the Ming Dynasty as a buffer to repel Japanese pirates. It was later occupied by Japanese troops after the 1895 Sino-Japanese war, and today a monument commemorates those who lost their lives during the war. There's also a Chinese weapons museum (entry RMB26) showcasing an excellent collection of military hardware from the era. Liugong also boasts a peaceful, 4,000-acre national forest park, which covers almost three-quarters of the island. Around 50 bird species visit the park during nesting season to join the island's resident population of around 100 wild spotted red deer. |  | Rongcheng Swan Lake Each November to April, thousands of migrating swans, wild ducks and geese from Siberia and Mongolia converge on this lake reserve for the winter to share its clean waters with 150 species of resident birds. The lake is located about 16 miles from downtown Weihai, so you will need to hire a driver. The Moon Lake, Chaoyang Bay and Bahe Bay, and Dongzhugou Village areas of the 40-square-mile lake are the best parts for spotting the vacationing swans. |  | Chengshantou Weihai covers a sharp promontory jutting out into the Bohai Sea from Shandong Province. The greatest natural asset along this part of the coast is located around 30 miles east on the Jiaodong peninsula. The Chengshan Cape, the easternmost part of Shandong province, is often called "China's Cape of Good Hope." This rugged and rocky scenic spot was gifted a huge dose of tourism cachet by China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, who once visited and was so awed by the landscape that he decreed the Cape may hold the essence of eternal life. Hence, Chinese coach tours arrive in droves to photograph the concrete statue of the Emperor. (Note the similarity of his right-arm-raised stance to the statuettes and paintings of Chairman Mao available in China's street markets.) The swooping, jagged cliffs, rock formations and natural inlets make for adventurous hiking and scrambling— and the sunrises here are reputed to be among the most spectacular in coastal Northeast China. |  | Yantai If you have a little extra time before departing Weihai, consider hiring a driver to take a trip along the coastal road to the city of Yantai, around 40 miles away. (See page 40 for guide.) Ambitious and fast-changing, Yantai was also a late-19th century British treaty port, and several foreign nations built consulates and commercial buildings here. Yantai's colonial architecture contrasts with the modern Chinese shopping, dining and tourism developments, and—along with some fine beaches—creates a sense of diversity in this popular seaside getaway. |
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